At least 20 high-ranking Iranian military commanders and several scientists working on Iran's nuclear program were killed in the Israeli air strikes, Reuters reported, citing a statement from the authorities in Tehran.
The Israeli strikes were aimed at nuclear facilities, ballistic missile production plants and military commanders, and their goal was to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
Who are the military personnel and scientists killed:
Hossein Salami
Major General Hossein Salami was the commander of the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Born in 1960. The senior military officer was appointed by Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to head the IRGC in 2019.
Mohammad Bagheri
Former IRGC chief Major General Mohammad Bagheri had been the head of Iran's armed forces since 2016. Born in 1960, Bagheri joined the Revolutionary Guard during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s.
Amir Ali Hajizadeh
Brigadier General Hajizadeh was the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's Air Force. His death was also confirmed by the Israeli military.
Gholamali Rashid
Major General Gholamali Rashid was the commander of the "Khatam al-Anbiya" base. He previously served as deputy chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces and fought on Iran's side in the 1980s war with Iraq.
Fereidoun Abbasi Davani
Abassi was a nuclear physicist who served as head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran from 2011 to 2013. He was considered a hardliner and was a member of parliament from 2020 to 2024. d
Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi
Nuclear physicist Tehranchi was the head of Iran's Islamic Azad University.
The other four scientists killed in today's strikes were Abdolhamid Manouchehr, Ahmad Reza Zolfaghari, Amirhossein Feghi, and Mottalibizadeh.
Ali Shamkhani injured
A senior adviser to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ali Shamkhani, was injured in the Israeli strikes early this morning, Agence France-Presse reported, citing Iranian state television.